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Find Early Education and Care Programs

Healthy development depends on the quality and reliability of a child’s relationships with the important people in his or her life, both within and outside the family. These relationships lay the foundation for a wide range of later outcomes that really matter – self-confidence and sound mental health, motivation to learn and achieve, the ability to control behavior and resolve conflicts, and knowing the difference between right and wrong.

That’s why one of the most critical decisions you make as a parent is choosing an environment that will help you nurture your child’s growth and development, and set the stage for future learning.

EEC recognizes the essential role parents and providers play in safety awareness. The database of Level 3 sex offenders is publicly available through the Sex Offender Registry. Additionally, information on Level 2 sex offenders may be accessed through the Sex Offender Registry Board or your local police department.

The Department of Early Education and Care publishes a geographically-searchable online directory of licensed child care programs across the state. Some licensed programs elect to not be listed in the online directory. If a program you are researching does not appear in your search results, you may call the EEC regional licensing office for your area to confirm whether the program is licensed by EEC. EEC can provide information about restrictions on a license, non-compliance citations, and sanctions. If you have any questions about the availability of licensing information on a program, please contact the Commissioner's Office at 617.988.6600.

Family Child Care Systems are coordinated networks of family child care providers. Family Child Care Systems provide resources and supports to family child care providers such as training, technical assistance and consultation, monitoring, and referrals to health and social services for children in their care. FCC Systems may provide referrals to family child care providers. You may also search directly for FCC providers.

Adoption Agencies are licensed placement agencies responsible for placing children for adoption and offer adoption related services. Foster Care Agencies are licensed placement agencies responsible for recruitment and approval of foster parents/homes to care for children in need of alternative placement.

Residential care is a broad term which encompasses a variety of services, which may include a group home, a secure detention and treatment facility, a temporary shelter, a shelter home model, a transition to independent living program, transitional housing for teen parents, or care for children with special needs in a regular, 24 hour a day residential facility.

The Head Start program is a nationally funded program that promotes school readiness through quality early educational experiences and services including health, mental health, nutrition, social services, and parent involvement.

If you are looking for a public school preschool program or if you have questions relative to Early Childhood Special Education, this search will provide you with contacts in your local school district.

Your local Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Consultation program can help early education and out-of-school time educators and families address the social-emotional development and behavioral health of children birth through 14 years old, who are enrolled in EEC programs and family child care homes. ECMH consultants can also assist programs and families with referrals for additional behavioral health services, if needed.

In Massachusetts, Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation programs provide consultation services to address and support the social-emotional development and behavioral health of children in early education and care and out-of-school time settings. The early childhood mental health consultation services funded by the Department of Early Education and Care's (EEC) Mental Health Consultation Grant are available across the Commonwealth.